Half Past Now
by DeathProof
Summary: When an old friend's husband turns up missing will Greg have to choose between helping her and the person he loves? N/G w/mild GSR and CWR.
1. Chapter 1

It's gonna be a chapter fic. Pairing ??

Enjoy.

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**Half Past Now**

The shift was coming to a slow but steady close as Nick and Greg wandered down the halls of the lab towards the reception area to punch out of the system. The glow of sunlight pressing itself around the blinds and glowing into the lab. For both of them it was a wearying glow, unlike the revitalizing strength it gave to the rest of humanity. As they stepped around the hall Greg watched Nick stumble to avoid a tiny blond headed person pushing an even tinier toy car up and down the hallway. A couple of more steps and Greg tripped over a completely matching child with the same short blond hair and freckle stained face this time spread out in the hall with a coloring book.

Another moment and the two of them managed to run straight into a third child with longer hair than the first two but a matching face as she ran up the hall. "What is this CSI daycare? Where'd all these kids come from?" Nick asked with a chuckle as he caught the little girl before she fell. "Be careful pumpkin, you don't wanna fall."

"You three ought to get back to your mom," Greg said gently as he gestured to the little girl and the two boys he guessed were her brothers. The three turned the corner though, and Greg couldn't help but notice two more blond headed children bouncing a ball back and forth across the side hallway. He turned towards Nick, "Am I going insane or are toe-headed kids spawning everywhere?"

"You count five?" Nick asked, counting on his fingers. He grabbed the little girl that had started following him and Greg by the shoulder and looked at her, "Where's your Mama sweet pea?"

The little girl didn't speak but nodded and pointed to the reception area at a frazzled looking woman with mussed hair and dingy clothes. She was clutching onto an over-sized purse in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

Her back was turned to Nick and Greg as they slowly approached. "Ma'am," Nick called gently. "Is this pretty little lady here your little girl?"

"Brennen Skye," the woman chastised as she looked up from her child to the men standing in front of her. "Oh, officers! I'm glad they finally sent someone to talk to me I've been waiting for an hour..."

"Wait," Greg said, stopping suddenly. "Liz?"


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for reading! I think I've decided on pairings for this but I'm not totally sure. It'll probably be GSR, CWR, and either N/G, N/OC, or G/OC, or something else, or some combination. I hope you enjoy it! Please review.

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**Half Past Now**

"Officer," the woman said trying to get their attention but then she realized that Greg had addressed her by name. After looking at him gently for a few moments, studying his face, she knew him. "Greg? What are you doing here?"

"I work here," he told her awkwardly, unsure if he should hug her or not. "I'm a CSI. This is one of my co-workers, Nick Stokes."

"It's nice to meet you," Nick said extending a hand to the woman, "Ma'am."

She nodded towards him but didn't take his hand or acknowledge the handshake. Instead she turned to Greg and said, "thank God they sent you to talk to me. I've been going out of my mind."

"Liz they didn't send me to talk to you," Greg told her gently. He gestured to the front desk. "Nick and I were just down here to clock out."

"Oh," she squeaked, almost sounding hurt. Her eyes seemed to fill up with tears as she sniffed a few times and stepped back away from Greg. "So I've been waiting for more than an hour and they haven't even asked someone to talk to me yet?"

"Liz what's going on?" Greg asked, sounding a bit like a frightened teenager. He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him, oddly close, and looked her in the eye. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," she placed an open palm on his chest and pushed away. "Well, it's just that... well I can't find Marty."

"You lost your husband?" Greg asked, chuckling at his joke.

"No!" She growled back at him, shoving him into Nick. "I mean he didn't come home last night."

"Well Ma'am," Nick said, stepping in. "I'm sure he's at home waiting for you right now. Why don't you take the kids and head back. Give Greg and I a call in a few hours if you still haven't heard anything."

"I don't want to be told to wait anymore!" She shrieked at Nick. "My husband didn't come home last night. There's something wrong, I know there is. I want someone in this damn place to do something about it."

"Ma'am," Nick tried to calm her. "I understand that you're worried but it's policy to wait 24 hours before we file a missing persons report."

She gave Nick a filthy look and turned back to Greg, "Do something. Please. Something?"


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reading! I've put more thought into it and it's set after Grissom leaves so while it will be mild with the GSR and CWR (mostly in flashbacks) it'll mostly be the third 'ship. Which I've finally settled on as N/G. It'll be mostly N/G with some mild triangle like situations.

Enjoy it!

And please review.

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**Half Past Now**

"Lizzy," Greg said slowly, he shifted his gaze and looked her in the eye. "Okay, I'll do something."

Greg pulled his cell phone out and made a call, spoke quietly for a moment, and then closed his phone. He chewed his lip slowly and then put a gentle hand on Liz's forearm, gesturing for her to have a seat again. When she'd complied he nodded to Nick that he'd like a moment with him and the two stepped out of earshot for a conversation.

"What's going on Greg?" Nick asked, concerned and a little annoyed. "Who is that? And who did you just call?"

"I called Catherine and Liz is an old friend of mine," Greg gave the obvious answer. He put a hand on the side of Nick's neck, "You should go home, I'm gonna stay here and make sure Liz gets taken care of before I go. I'll catch up with you."

"I could stay," Nick offered. "I could help with something, take a ride and talk to some people? Play with the kids? You shouldn't miss a day's sleep over this alone."

"That's the dumbest logic I've heard all week," Greg chuckled. "Go home, walk the dog, and get some rest. I promise I'll be in bed in two hours tops."

"Okay," Nick agreed slowly. "I'll see you later then?" Greg nodded and smiled slowly. Nick shook his head and moved towards the door, "Let me know if I can help?"

"I will," Greg promised and then waved. A moment later he heard the click of Catherine's high heels and approached her slowly. "Thanks for coming down, Catherine."

"Sure Greg," she said through a yawn. "I was still finishing up some paperwork anyway. What do you need?"

Greg gestured to his friend who sat across the room, three small blond children pawing at her, "Lady over there with the kids is a friend of mine. Her name is Elizabeth Geller and she says her husband didn't come home last night, she's really upset about it. You think you could pull some strings and try to get someone to file a police report with her? I know it's premature but..."

"You know this woman Greg," Catherine said carefully. "Is she the kind of person who gets upset about things and blows them out of proportion? Are we going to be setting a precedent that the LVPD is going to hold her hand through a bunch of tantrums if we give her special treatment?"

"Oh," Greg was thoughtful for a moment. "No, no she's not like that. I've never seen her this upset before."

"Okay, well we're short handed so you'll have to file the report yourself," she warned him. "But I'll talk Brass into giving us a couple of guys to check it out."

Greg shrugged and offered Catherine a sheepish grin, "I'm off the clock and you said I can't have any more overtime till next month."

"Okay," Catherine rolled her eyes the same way he'd seen her daughter Lindsey roll hers a few days ago when she'd come down to the lab. "I'll take care of it but you owe me!"

"I always do!" He smiled again. And made his way back over to his friend's side. "Thanks Catherine."


	4. Chapter 4

Well now we're on for chapter 4. Thanks very much for suggestions and if you have any more I'd love for you to keep them coming. I hope you all like this one. Before you get too worried about all the kids Liz has... it's part of the plot, promise... and you won't be required to know the difference between any of them. (Except possibly Kobie and Leila.)

Enjoy it!

And please review.

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**Half Past Now**

Greg stepped beside his old friend and offered a gentlemen like hand to help her stand. "Catherine, a friend of mine and my supervisor, is going to take your statement and we'll put it through to to Captain Brass and the Undersheriff, Ecklie. We're hoping you'll have a someone to take a ride with you in a couple hours."

Liz nodded when he was done explaining feeling better that someone was finally taking her seriously. "Great, thanks Greg I knew I could count on you."

"Any time," he said, pulling her awkwardly into a hug. They watched as Catherine approached and he leaned towards her and slowly whispered, "I'm gonna stay."

"Thank you so much for taking time with me," Liz addressed Catherine as she closed a hand around Greg's and squeezed firmly. "Mrs?"

"Willows," Catherine responded. "I'm Catherine Willows, Night Shift CSI supervisor, I hear you're a good friend of Greg's?"

"We go a way back," Liz answered, tossing her messy blond hair as it still hung half in the pony tail holder and half out. She let go of his hand, "He's um...he's a good friend."

"You don't have to tell me, I know he's a good one." Catherine winked at Greg. She looked down at the five children that seemed to have flocked to Liz, and the two that were approaching. "So, you've got quite the brood?"

"Oh," Liz looked down and lowered a hand on one of the approaching girls and bit her lip. "Yeah, Marty—my husband and I were very _blessed_. Three sets of multiples in four years," she chewed her lip before continuing. "Shellie, Mickie, Wyatt, Ava, Connor, Dillon, and Brynn. Twins, eight. Twins, six. Triplets, five. I, personally, didn't know it was physically possible until..."

"And you've got another at home, right?" Greg asked, gently. "Didn't Marty have a little girl when you two met?"

"Leila, she's gonna be thirteen next week," Liz nodded. Her voice dropped and she hesitated, "And there's Kobie, my oldest son."

"You had a son before Marty?" Greg prodded; the tone of his voice stung everyone listening. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"Because it's _my_ life Greg," she growled back. "A life I'm pretty sure I remember you saying you wanted no part of."

"Nine kids," Catherine mused, trying desperately to change the subject. "They must really need their dad. Let's get started shall we?"

"I think that's a good idea," Liz gathered her things from around her. "Kids, I want you to sit your butts down in here and don't move until I come back."

After a chorus of complaints there were a couple "Yes Mama's" and the kids started finding seats to occupy themselves in. Liz turned back to Greg giving him a cold look in the eye. "I think you should get home."

"Lizzy--" he started to protest but she just gave him another firm stare, it was clear she didn't want him there. "Oh, uh...well... good luck."


	5. Chapter 5

And another chapter. Sorry this one's up a bit later than the others were! (Be warned it's very fluffy.)

Enjoy it!

And please review.

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**Half Past Now**

Greg left the lab feeling worse than he had in a long time. He moved unlocked his car blindly as he thought over the events of the past fifteen minutes. Liz had seemed happy to see him but then had turned suddenly very angry with him, forcing him to leave. He couldn't help but wonder what it was that he'd done. He remembered the last time they talked—at her wedding with Marty. He'd been blindsided by the invitation but happy to oblige.

He lowered his head in his hands and rubbed them over his hair a moment after he was in the car. He just couldn't figure out what was up with Liz. She'd never been that cold with him before. He sighed again and started his engine hoping he'd solve the mystery eventually.

The ride back to his apartment was uneventful until the last ten seconds or so when he realized Nick's car was parked in front of his unit, he smiled and parked happily beside it. They had long passed the place where each other's home's weren't their own as well, but hadn't moved in together. Neither one had ever seriously mentioned that—yet.

The lights were off when he went inside but Nick's dog was there to greet him. It was a golden lab by the name of Stewie. Greg greeted him with a pat on the head and made his way back through the apartment to let him run briefly in the community backyard. The sun was high in the sky at that point, so it wouldn't be hard for him to find any puppy prizes and clean them up before the neighbors noticed.

It seemed as though Stu, as Greg called him, had the same idea as him though because he wasn't interested in being anywhere but the bedroom. Greg petted the dog again gently and agreed, it was time for them to join Nick for bed. Greg pulled his shirt off from over his head and dropped it in the laundry room (something he wouldn't have bothered to do if Nick hadn't been there) and then stepped out of his shoes leaving them on the floor in the laundry room too. At Nick's house this wasn't a "leave all" for unwanted clothing particles but a den for Stu. Greg had never been a dog person, but he'd put his foot down about that when they were at his house, Stu got to sleep wherever he wanted.

Nick heard the two of them enter the room as Stewie found his way to Nick's side of the bed and curled up on the floor beneath him. "Greggo, that you?"

"Yeah, just got in," he said, chuckling a bit at Nick. The man had left the crime lab all of thirty five minutes ago and had managed to stop at his own home before coming there. How could he already be sleeping like a child? It always took Greg at least an hour to wind down. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay," Nick said, as he curled back into his pillow. Greg really couldn't understand how he was so asleep already and was contemplating it when he was taken by surprise—Nick had grabbed him by the forearm and pulled him onto the bed. The only explanation he got was Nick whispering, "I'll go back to sleep but only if you're sleeping next to me."


	6. Chapter 6

And another chapter. Sorry this one's so much shorter than the others. I promise it'll start getting more substance. Enjoy it!

And _please_ review.

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**Half Past Now**

It was after three in the afternoon when Nick and Greg finally woke up and started getting ready for their day/night. Both of them had to be in to work by seven (and had been coming in that early ever since the lab had done away with swing shift) so that gave them a couple hours to themselves but not enough time to really use.

At the moment Nick was in Greg's kitchen preparing them both Sandwiches while Greg sat at the table still dwelling over Liz's behavior that morning. "I mean really, what'd I do?" He asked, frustrated.

"I dunno," Nick answered, his thick Texas accent making the simple words seem so much more significant. "What's up with you two anyway? I mean how do you know each other? She your ex or something?"

"I have no idea what's up," Greg said, being evasive. "I mean I thought we were friends."

"Yeah I got that," Nick answered, almost shortly. "But who is she?"

"Elizabeth Gellar," Greg answered, simply.

"Greg," Nick said, trying to get him to be serious for a moment. "Honestly, who is she?"

"We went to the same High School," Greg admitted. "And College. And Graduate College. And, I'm pretty sure Primary and Elementary school, too."

"So you've known her your whole life," Nick chuckled. The only people he'd known his entire life were his family. But with five sisters, a brother, and over thirty-six cousins (all but one of which were older than him) he hadn't noticed much when people came in and out of his life as a chlid. "It's pretty cool that you're still friends after all that time."

"I guess," Greg answered, absently. "But I'm not sure we even are friends, I mean she was pretty mad at me."

"She's hurtin'," Nick said, gently. "She's confused. You gotta be there for her and give her a chance to come around. If she's right about her husband and somethin' did happen to him she's gonna need a friend."

"I guess," Greg admitted. "I have no idea. I'll just ask Catherine about it when we go in for shift in a bit but until then, I think I ought to just focus on you and Stu."

"Now that's a plan I can get on board with," Nick responded playfully, as he dropped the two sandwiches on the table in front of them. "Now how do you want to do going into work today, who should leave first? And do you want me to drop Stewie off at my house before I go in?"

"He can stay here," Greg agreed. "But I think I should leave first since my place is about five minutes closer to the lab than yours."

"Or," Nick offered, rubbing Greg's forearm,"We could just go in together and to hell with what everyone thinks."

"We can't," Greg sighed, turning away from Nick.


	7. Chapter 7

Yay, another chapter!

Enjoy!

And _please_ review.

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**Half Past Now**

Greg arrived at the lab that night and the first thing he did was go in search of Catherine. He'd have tried calling Liz already but unfortunately didn't have any way of getting her phone number. He hadn't seen or spoken to her in the better part of ten years before that morning. Finally after a few minutes he found Catherine.

"Hey Catherine," he greeted her trying to be friendly and relaxed as he stepped into her office. "How's it going?"

"Oh," she said, looking up from the papers she was doing something with. "What's up?"

"I was," he started, not sure how to continue. "Well I was wondering about my friend Liz? Did you guys locate Marty this morning?"

"No," she said, pulling her glasses off of her face and focusing on him. "I'm sorry we didn't, I'm going to have Riley working on it tonight though."

"I can do it," he offered, feeling a little guilty for not doing more from the start. "I mean I really don't mind being put on a missing person, honestly."

"Yeah I know Greg," Catherine said, frowning. "But you've got a personal interest in this one and I'm gonna need you not to be on it."

"Catherine I have to do something," he answered, sighing loudly. "Liz is my friend, I have to help her."

"I can't let you," Catherine said with regret in her voice. "You're going to be on a body off the strip, possible gunshot wound."

"Catherine can I at least look at her file," he said, trying anything. "I mean it's possible I'll know something."

"Greg I can't prevent you from looking at the file," she gave him a half smile. "But do it on your own time, not mine. And, I'm serious about you not working this one."

"Got it," he smiled. At the very least he could get Liz's phone number from the file and give her a call to resolve whatever it was that happened between them that morning. "Thank you so much Catherine!"

When he went in search of the file he realized that Riley already had it so he went to the layout room to find her. "Hey Riley," he greeted. "I hear you're working on the Gellar case, mind if I see the file to that really quick?"

"Not at all," she passed it to him. "Did Catherine send you to help me?"

"Uh, no," he told her. "Actually I'm not gonna be working this one officially, at all. As per my agreement with Catherine. But, the wife's a friend of mine so I'm a little interested in what you've got so far." He looked down at the file and what he saw shocked him. "Wait, this says you have a body?"


	8. Chapter 8

So sorry I didn't get this up for so long. I got grounded! I'm back though.

Enjoy!

And _please_ review.

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**Half Past Now**

"I literally just put that down," Riley told him, moving to look over his shoulder at the file. "I just received word on a positive ID."

"Where? How? When?" Greg asked, stammering. He was in utter disbelief. In all of his years of being a CSI he hadn't actually expected to find that he'd be told that someone he knew had been killed. This was the second person in the last year, alone. He grabbed his phone and started dialing the phone number he saw at the top of the folder before handing it back to Riley, "excuse me."

He waited patiently for a few minutes, trying to figure out what he was going to say when she answered. Finally, he heard an overtired sounding voice on the other end of the line. "Hey, Liz... this is Greg."

"Oh hi," she said, sounding happier to hear from him than he had expected. "I didn't expect it to take you this long to find my number. I'm sorry I let you go earlier without giving it to you."

Greg was officially confused by her. He couldn't figure her out, she was hot and cold and back again in moments. This wasn't like her. He had always remembered her as emotional but she had never been quite so frigid with him. They had been close once upon a time.

"Liz, well, uh..." he said, looking for the words. "Well, I think there's been a lead finding Marty. I just wanted to let you know. I'm not officially allowed to work the case, but if you don't mind I'll ride out with Riley and drop by your house to fill you in on my way home."

"Is it bad?" She asked, sounding frightened. Greg heard a child calling her name, and a chorus of others joining in. "Honestly Greg, I can handle it. Is it bad?"

"I don't know yet," he answered, stretching the truth because he didn't know the full extent of it yet. "I promise to call you as soon as I know something though, okay? I just wanted to let you know we had a lead."

"Okay," she agreed at least willing to trust him for the next few minutes. "And thanks for being so helpful."

"Oh, anytime," he stated. He drummed his fingers along the edge of Riley's desk and sighed. "I'm gonna let you go now Liz, I'll talk to you in a few."

"I thought you said Catherine asked you not to be on this one," Riley commented as she flipped further through the case file, noting where she'd be going to examine the body before it came into the morgue. "I can't really take you with me to the scene if she pulled you from it."

"I'm allowed to offer my services to a fellow CSI," Greg said, slowly trying to reason why he should be able to go. "So, it's okay. I just can't process anything or have my name on any evidence tags. I do have another body waiting, so maybe we ought to get a move on so I can actually accomplish something too."

"Well whatever you want to do is fine by me," Riley commented slowly. Then she settled her jaw and looked back up at him, "But, if you've been taken off the case letting you go with me could result in my case being thrown out in court. I'm not letting that happen."

"Then you don't mean I can do whatever I want," Greg told her, pointedly. "It's not fine by you."


	9. Chapter 9

So now we have some evidence! I wonder what it means. Keep reading!

Enjoy!

And _please_ review.

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**Half Past Now**

"My first responsibility is to my case," Riley tried to explain to Greg as she gathered some materials and readied to head out to the scene. "I'll call you when I get back to the lab and have something for you to see. I'm willing to work with you but I'm not compromising a conviction. If you really care about these people you're not either."

"Fine," Greg said in frustration. "I've got a case anyway."

"Okay, I'll call you," Riley agreed, relaxing a little bit. "Good luck."

"Don't forget," Greg reminded her. He was still frustrated that he couldn't actually do anything to help when someone he cared about had lost someone they loved.

A couple hours passed while Greg tried to immerse himself in his own case to pass the time. Though his mind wasn't completely with his job Greg wasn't the kind of guy to do any less than one hundred percent. He gathered evidence, pushed Robbins to do his autopsy first, made phone calls, did some research on the internet and by now had a good sturdy lead and a viable suspect.

He was just thanking Mandy for running his print information when his phone rang, it was Riley. "I was starting to think you wouldn't call me."

"I said I would," she laughed into the phone. "I'm about to go into autopsy. Do you want to meet me here? I've got some things you're going to want to look at."

"Sure," gathering his things and starting out the room. "I'll be there in two minutes."

Greg was surprised to see Nick with Riley as he walked into the lab. He gave the other man a happy smile, glad that he was there as he approached the lab table. Though Greg had spend the majority of his day hoping that they had falsely identified Marty, he hadn't been so lucky. His heart sunk as he realized that the man his friend was married to was indeed dead.

"Wow," Greg commented out loud. Nick stepped closer to him, though they didn't touch he felt his presence there. "I can give you a positive ID if you need one. This is Martin Gellar I'd know him anywhere."

"Duly noted," Riley said, making a mark in her file.

"Ready?" Doc Robbins asked, as he started to get ready to begin the autopsy. "I've got prints and a DNA sample ready for you." Then, after making sure he'd taken care of the obligatory bits he got down to business. "Now, there are a few things I think you'll want to look at. First, there were some skin and hair fragments under his fingernails. Indication of a struggle. Second, he has a small tear in his shirt near the cuff of his right sleeve. Last, and perhaps most interestingly, there I found twenty-six small white pills in his mouth and throat. The fact that they aren't further in the digestive tract indicates that they were ingested postmortem."

"Any idea what they were?" Riley asked, as she took the collected bits of evidence from Doc Robbins.

"No," Doc responded. "But I'm sure Hodges can figure that out for you."

"Of course," Nick agreed. "That's why we have a trace lab.

Meanwhile, Greg watched on quietly. There wasn't much that the evidence was ready to tell them yet but he was almost certain they were looking at a homicide. He didn't forget that Riley had told him she had some information of her own, he wondered what she'd managed to find. Until he had the chance to discuss it with her though, he'd decided to watch the autopsy quietly and try to think about what he was going to say to Liz.


	10. Chapter 10

It's starting to get all full of the case. What do you think? Do you guys want more of the case or do you want more personal stuff? I'm trying give you guys a bit of both.

Enjoy!

And _please_ review.

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**Half Past Now**

A few minutes later Riley and Greg sat on either side of a layout table as Riley briefed Greg about the evidence she'd gleaned that morning. "Really I didn't find much, I was hoping to have found a bit more. I did find out where he worked. He showed up to work yesterday morning and was there until lunch. He didn't come back after that."

"It's not like him to miss work," Greg commented. "So, I guess that helps us narrow down a TOD?"

"Well we know he was last seen alive by his secretary, Hillary Scavo, at half past Eleven yesterday morning," Riley commented. "We also know that she said he wasn't acting weirdly at all. According to Hillary he would have told her if something had been up he would have told her."

"You think they were having an affair?" Greg asked, unsure about Riley's tone. "I'm not sure I'm ready to believe that one."

"I wasn't implying that," Riley stated flatly. "I'm just saying, nobody noticed anything up before he didn't come back to work."

"Well," Greg mentioned slowly. "Then maybe if we figure out where he went at lunch we can figure out what he was doing when he was murdered."

"That's not a bad idea," Riley agreed. She grabbed the file and flipped it open to a page full of contact info. "A guy named Louis Redman said that he was supposed to have lunch with Marty, but he never showed. Maybe we ought to start with him?"

"Good idea," Greg told her. "Thanks Riley."

"Greg," she stopped him on his way out. "I'm gonna try my hardest with this one. I know how tough it is to see someone you know on the autopsy table. It really sucks."

"Thanks," he said again, trying to offer her a smile.

Greg made his way out of the layout room to the break room. He flopped down on the couch in there and sighed. He was both physically and emotionally exhausted. His day had drained him completely and he still had an entire shift left to get through. He grabbed his phone and typed a quick text to Nick, asking how his shift was going.

"It's going." Nick responded.

"You want to get breakfast after shift?" Greg asked him, typing eagerly on his phone.

"Yes," Nick answered. Greg couldn't help but laugh a little, he hadn't expected Nick to seem so eager.

"Good." Greg told him back, texting playfully. He had the first real smile on his face that he'd had since that morning.

"You okay?" Nick asked him, Greg had hoped that he wouldn't ask but he knew Nick well enough to know that he would.

"I will be," he texted back. Before Nick had a chance to respond he sent another message. "As long as I've got that breakfast to look forward to."

"It's a date."


	11. Chapter 11

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated but the site was down for a long time! Anyway, I'm aware of the continuity error in this chapter. It's not an error after all.

Enjoy!

And _please_ review.

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**Half Past Now**

The rest of Greg's shift passed fairly uneventfully. He worked his way through his case, ignoring a couple of incoming calls from Liz. In the last hour before shift he finally accepted a call from Liz, having decided that he would sit down with her and be honest. No amount of stalling was going to bring her husband back to life. They had talked briefly exchanging pleasantries before Liz had invited Greg over for breakfast as soon as his shift was over.

That's how Greg found himself in his car on the way to her house after ending his shift. He followed her instructions and managed to find her home without much difficulty. He settled his badge and gun in his glove compartment, locked it, and started towards the house. The home was small, smaller than he'd expected her to have though he was familiar with the neighborhood and had had a better idea as she was giving him her address. There weren't any toys in the yard, just a scattering of lined up bicycles propped against the side of the house and a couple of balls here or there. The grass was cut short and there were flowers planted in front of the house, he glanced again and realized the home was almost immaculately kept. Even the large, low branched, climbing tree seemed healthy and untarnished.

He made his way to the door and knocked tentatively not feeling comfortable with walking in. There was a time when Liz's home would have felt like his own, even if he'd never been in it, and he wouldn't have bothered knocking. She came to the door looking less disheveled than she had the previous morning, though she didn't exactly look as eloquent as the average housewife. The home was tidy enough, though cluttered. Nothing like the yard. Liz had very obviously just gotten out of the shower but her face still betrayed the worry lines and puffy red eyes.

"Come on in," she invited him, giving him a half smile. "Can I make you something?"

"A coffee would be great," he said, remembering she was a bit of a Java junkie herself. "One sugar, two creams."

"I remember," she said with a nod. "Come on into the kitchen and I'll get the pot on. I made some French toast for the kids this morning before school I'm about to put the leftovers in the freezer, you want some?"

"No," he said awkwardly leaning against the counter. "Liz," he said gently, stopping her by grabbing her arm. "I really think we should talk."

"I'm not sure I want to," she whispered, turning her focus back to the coffee pot. She stared down at it for a few moments before looking back up at him. "You guys found him."

"We did," Greg nodded. He didn't have to say any more, if he was okay he'd have been delivered home or she'd been escorted to the hospital immediately. They both knew that much. "I'm so sorry. It looks as though he's been murdered."

"Murdered?" She asked, trying to force herself to have composure. She was feeling so many things. "How? Do you know what happened yet?"

"Not yet," Greg said gently. "We have a wealth of evidence though. We'll catch whoever did it."

"Good," she said, swallowing hard before tears started to fall. "You're sure it's him?"

"Yes," Greg admitted.

"I can't believe it."


	12. Chapter 12

So we've got another chapter up! Sorry that this one was so... well bland. I had to get through a bit of filer before I could move on. You guys mind telling me what you're thinking? We are tweleve chapters in, after all. Thanks for reading!

Enjoy!

And _please_ review.

* * *

**Half Past Now**

Greg looked down at his cell phone when it started to ring, it was Nick's name that flashed across the screen. Greg frowned and ignored the call. He looked up at Liz completely lost for words. He had no idea what to say. Instead of talking, he reached out and took one of her hands in his, offering a gentle squeeze.

"How am I gonna tell the kids?" She asked, suddenly. "That's going to be the hardest part of any of this... telling the kids that their father's dead. They're already asking about him. Leila and Kobie know something's wrong but the little ones... how do I tell them he's not coming back?"

"You remind them that you're not going anywhere," he said gently. "And that their dad's always gonna be a part of them because they've already learned so much from him. Then all you have to do is just be there for them when they're sad."

"Somehow I think that's going to be easier said than done," Liz said, unhappily. "I mean, who's gonna be there for when I'm sad?"

"They will," Greg told her. "And so will I."

"It just doesn't seem that easy," Liz commented. "And there's just so much to think about. Like... well what happens to Leila? What if someone tries to take her from me? Or, how am I gonna pay bills? How can I support nine kids under the age of fourteen? And Leila's birthday is next week. How in the world am I going to make it a good one?"

"Take it one step at a time," he told her, it was the only thing he knew to say. "Grieve first and worry about the rest later. Leave the majority of the fluff to friends and family."

"You know how much work goes into raising nine kids?" Liz asked, almost laughing at him. "I don't get time off to mourn."

"Well nobody gets time off from being a parent," Greg said offering her a smile. "But that's why you get to hire assistants. I'll help out in any way possible, starting now. You have anything that needs doing?"

"I've got a list a mile long," Liz said, as she rubbed a finger over her eyes. "And trust me, there's no way you could do it. I've got a system."

"I can handle it," Greg said, giving her a grin—the same face he used to give her to make her smile when they were younger. "Just tell me what needs doing and then go relax someplace. I don't mind."

"When are you gonna sleep?" She asked, still being a mother even though her children were all off at one school or another. "It's my job to take care of my home and family, I can handle it Greg."

"Not as long as I'm here," Greg said forcefully. "Now, tell me what I can do."


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry this is another fluffy one... but it's important. Anyway, we'll be moving on more with the investigation in a couple more chapters. Just have one more thing Greg has to take care of at Liz's before we move on.

What are you thinking so far?

Enjoy!

And _please_ review.

* * *

**Half Past Now**

Greg dropped the last load into the dryer and moved into the kitchen to put the dishes away. He'd done a whole host of chores that day and wasn't even half done with the list. Four loads of laundry, two loads of dishes, sweeping, mopping, making all the beds, taking four bags of trash to the dump, and he'd managed to chop up four onions to put in dinner when he started it an hour later. He had honestly thought that he could help Liz out with her chores and be done in an hour or so and he'd be able to go home. It was nearly three o'clock though and he'd been wrong.

He shrugged the fatigue off of his shoulders like a bad habit. He'd sleep when he finished his shift that night, it wasn't as though he'd never gone a day without sleeping before. His phone rang for the fifth time that day, it was Nick calling again. He must have just woken up. Greg looked around and didn't see Liz anywhere in earshot.

"Hey Nicky," he greeted as he pulled the phone to his ear. He couldn't withhold yawn. "What's up? You sleep well?"

"Where in the hell have you been?" Nick's rage took Greg by surprise. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Five of three," Greg said rudely. "What the hell's going on? What'd I do?"

"You didn't come home," Nick said. "You stood me up. You've been ignoring my calls all day. You didn't even send me so much as a text to tell me what was going on."

"I'm at Liz's," Greg said abruptly. "Where else would I be?"

"I don't know... at breakfast with me?" Nick responded, though Greg was pretty sure that wasn't the only reason why Nick was angry. He'd never been this upset over a missed meal before. "What are you doing there anyway?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Greg said, hotly. "Honestly Nicky, Liz's husband just died."

"Well I get that," Nick said more gently. "But just because some woman comes running back into your life doesn't mean you can just forget about me."

"Oh," Greg said, all of a sudden feeling badly. "It's not like that. I promise, it's not."

"Did you at least get any sleep?" Nick asked, showing obvious signs of concern. "Because you didn't get a whole lot yesterday and you worked all night."

"Not exactly," Greg said. "But it's not like I haven't pulled my share of doubles. I'll be fine."

"Greg," Nick admonished him. "You can't just... ugh! I swear sometimes you drive me crazy."

"Tell me something," Greg said. "If it was your friend whose husband just died... where would you be?"

"Point taken," Nick agreed, and couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm gonna go. I'll see you at work. And, I'm gonna probably head back to my place after shift. You coming?"

"As long as I'm still invited," Greg said, giving the smile he knew always melted Nick's heart... even though he couldn't see it.

"You promise you'll be there?" Nick asked, pretending he didn't know Greg was giving him that look.

"I promise," Greg agreed.

"Then you're still invited," Nick said. "I'll tell Catherine you had something come up and you'll be in a little late, buy you couple hours. Get some sleep."

They hung up on a good note. Greg was feeling badly that he'd been avoiding Nick all day. There usually wasn't anyone in the whole world he enjoyed time with more. He heard Liz come into the room and she gave him a half smile. "Who's Nicky, she the little lady?"

"Something like that," Greg said with a chuckle.


	14. Chapter 14

Another new chapter and another moment where Liz is acting bizarre! I wonder what's up with her... Any ideas yet? Review and let me know what you're thinking!

What are you thinking so far?..

Enjoy!

And _please_ review.

* * *

**Half Past Now**

Liz's kids stared pouring into the house at exactly 3 PM. Greg met each one of them in turn and couldn't help but wonder how Liz kept track of them all. It was nearly impossible for him to tell the difference between some of them and he couldn't imagine how anyone, even their own immediate family, could know them all so well.

The oldest boy, the one that Liz had told him wasn't actually Marty's son, came into the room again after everyone else had left and looked her in the eye, ignoring Greg. "Did they find Dad yet?"

"Yeah they did," Liz told him, not giving away any hint as to what she really knew. "I need you to go upstairs and help the girls with their homework, I'll be up as soon as Mr. Sanders leaves and we'll all talk about it."

"Why can't you just tell me now?" the boy asked. "Why do you always have to have stupid family meetings about this sort of thing? And when is Dad coming home?"

"I'm gonna tell you that when I come up to talk to all of you," she said more forcefully. "Now please go up and help Shellie and Mickie with their homework."

"Why can't you?" He asked, rudely. "I bet you forced Dad to leave, didn't you? You're probably drove him so nuts he wants a divorce!"

"Kobie Mattieu!" She exclaimed in total disbelief, offering an apologetic glance in Greg's direction. "I can't believe my ears!"

Kobie, as Greg had just been reminded was the boy's name went bounding off up the stairs quite dramatically and they both heard a door slam. "How old is he again," Greg asked.

"Eleven," she said and rolled her eyes. "He's not gonna take it well, he really idolizes his father."

"I thought you said Marty was his step-father?" Greg asked, as he scratched a hand over his head. "I mean, you did say that didn't you?"

"He's the only father Kobie's ever known," Liz responded, giving Greg a pretty impressive glare. "Isn't that enough?"

"Sure, sure," Greg said slowly. "I guess I just assumed he spent time with his real father too."

"No," Liz said, looking even more agitated. "Look, I really think it's about time you left."

"I could stay and help you talk to the kids," Greg offered.

"I don't mean to offend but these aren't your kids. You need to leave." She said curtly. Greg didn't move, just stared at her unable to believe what he was hearing. "Now."

"You can't be serious?!" he asked, for the second time in two days she'd gone from totally open to totally icy. "C'mon, I know you're gonna need some back-up. I told you I'd be here for you."

"I don't need you Greg," she reminded him hurtfully. "And they don't need you either. You can't just replace Marty!"

"For the love of Pete!" Greg exclaimed loudly. "I am in a relationship and I haven't seen you in a Goddamn decade! I'm just trying to be a good friend. Or—did you forget what that means?"

"Get out of my home this instant," Liz demanded. "Or I'll call the cops!"

"I am the cops!" Greg yelled, looking around for his keys.

"Leave!"


	15. Chapter 15

Okay so next chapter we're going to get into a lot more case stuff for a few chapters. I'm sorry we haven't had much forensics yet, but it's coming. I just had a lot of setup and stuff to do first. Anyway, I had a really interesting and kind of exciting theory on Liz. I'd love to hear some more if you have them!

What are you thinking so far?

Enjoy!

And _please_ review.

* * *

**Half Past Now**

Greg didn't bother going back home to get some sleep. There wasn't any point in him wasting the time, he knew that his argument with Liz would keep him up anyway. Again he couldn't understand what had happened that would change her mood from being so open to being so violently unreceptive. In all the time he'd known her he'd never known her to be that way. She'd always been the type to take things too seriously and had a notoriously short fuse, but he'd never been on the receiving end of her temper before and part of him thought nobody had it this bad.

Granted their friendship had suffered an eleven year hiatus with the exception of their brief reunion at her wedding. But still, a part of him felt as close with her as he'd always been—though perhaps in a different way. She was a totally different person now. A stranger with a familiar face and nothing more.

He made his way to In N Out burger, ordered his usual meal, the number 12, and ate it while sitting in his car in the parking lot. It was a picnic of sorts for him, the only style he ever had anymore. Sometimes he'd do it with Nick though the tradition had started with Warrick years before. He would sit in his car, or with his companion in his car, and eat a meal while talking, or not, about anything. They usually people watched. They would watch as people came and went to the supermarket that shared a parking lot with that particular In N Out, and decide what their stories truly were.

Greg watched this time as a mother made her way into the with a tiny child in a car seat tucked under her arm. He decided that she was a single mother by the name of Sarah the baby was her first child, a son, who she'd become pregnant accidentally while having a fling with her roommate's boyfriend. Nobody but she knew who the real father was.

Once he popped the last of his fries into his mouth he decided there wasn't much else he could do with the rest of his day, so he resolved to go into work early. At this point he would only be there about an hour before Catherine arrived and probably only ninety minutes before the rest of the team rolled in. It would give him the chance to look over some more of the evidence from Marty's case and perhaps to give himself a jump start with one of the ones coming in.

He made his way to the trace lab, a lab he knew his way around almost as well as the DNA lab, and found the information that had been logged in about Marty's case. He read over Hodges' notes briefly and realized that most of the tests hadn't been completed yet. He considered starting some of the simpler tests himself to get them out of the way. Mostly, he wanted to know what the pills were that had been removed from Marty's mouth. Something told him they were significant to solving the case. They did directly imply murder.

If he started the test now though, he'd have to finish them and he wasn't sure that Catherine would be willing to give him the time to finish when she got in. Instead he made his way to the office he shared with Riley and Nick and started on a few files he needed to close out before they could go to court. There was one that was a rushed case and he was going to have to finish it that night, anyway. But the whole time he worked he couldn't help but think and worry about Liz and her kids.

Why was she so crazy and then so not? What were they going to do now? How would they survive without the primary breadwinner? And, would Liz ever calm down and let him help? Why was it that every time her kids came up in conversation she went all crazy? He was starting to think he didn't know her at all anymore.


	16. Chapter 16

I'm so sorry for the delay! I thought that anothe member was going to be helping me with this story but it looks as though she's lost interst in mentoring a junior member of this site. Anyway, I ened up taking an unitended hiatus but I'm back and I don't intend to go anywhere before this story's been completed. Look for the next chapter in the next day or two!

The next chapter will be a little more casey or a bit more N/G depending on which outline I decide to go with. You'll know soon!

And _please_ review.

* * *

**Half Past Now**

No matter how furiously the urge had nagged him to jump in and solve the case immediately he resisted. Nothing would justify his compromising the chain of due process and getting the case thrown away in court. It was harder for him though, than he realized, to work so closely with a case involving someone he'd known. Warrick's case had been hard, so hard, but they were on autopilot and had solved it so quickly. There was no investigating really... simply shock.

Marty's death though not nearly as hard to stomach as Warrick's had been it still had him reeling. Marty was more than just an old friend's husband, he had been a friend to Greg too. They had met, through Liz, in college and had all spent nearly every day together in their very early adult years but the time had come when they'd divided from one another. A matter of a couple of years found Marty and Liz back in one another's lives and the marriage had followed shortly there after.

"I've got something," Catherine's voice announced as she walked into the room, pulling Greg out of his thoughts. "On the Gellar case, I have something I thought you might want to see."

"What?" he asked, coming to full attention at her side. "What'd you find?"

"We just got tox back on the white pills that Doc Robbins found in his mouth and esophageal passageway," she told him, showing him the file. "It looks like they're fertility pills."

"You mean for women who want to get pregnant?" He asked, Catherine gave him an affirming nod. "But where would they have come from? I mean you've met Liz and the kids... it's not exactly like they needed help."

"Well I don't know yet," Catherine admitted, though it was obvious. "But I'm going to. I think this is a good lead."

"Of course," Greg agreed. "You can use the pills to track down all of the doctors in this area that prescribe them and work out from there. Eventually someone's going to cross paths with someone who knew the Gellar's, then we'll have a viable suspect."

"We've got one other thing," she offered. "It looks like the ligature mark around his neck was caused by a small wire cord. There were a few metal shards in his skin."

Greg took some photographs and frowned unable to identify the weapon from fist view. "It's so frustrating that I can't help with this. I should be able to work on identifying this while you track down people involved in the fertility treatments."

"Yeah but there's the whole conflict of interests issue," she said soberly. "I realize how important this is to you Greg, I'm gonna figure it out."

"I know. I just want to do more... for Liz and Marty." he said in the voice of a child. A moment later his eyes lit up with an idea, he grabbed the keys from his belt and held them up, though they remained attached. They were hooked onto a retractable chord the base of which clipped over his belt loop. "Look at this."

Catherine ran a finger down over the chord and observed the few flecks of spun steel that rubbed off on her fingertip. "Greg I think you've got it! We know what we're looking for in a murder weapon!"


End file.
